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Chapter 8. Elements of Efficiency

Efficiency
is a nebulous term. In general, it measures how thoroughly one
manages to achieve some desired result as a function of the required
resources. The biggest problems in implementing efficiency in a
computer network are essentially matters of definition. What is the
desired result for a network, and what resources are actually
required?

With a relatively narrow view of the desired results in network
design, it essentially comes down to the factors that I mentioned
earlier when talking about network reliability. The network must
deliver data to the destination. It must do so within the required
application constraints. In most networks, the desired result is
effectively quantified with just four parameters: latency, jitter,
throughput, and dropped packets. I will define these terms when I
come to talk about Quality of Service later in this
chapter.

The hard part of describing efficiency is actually in defining the
resources. Which resources should the definition include? Some
resources are obvious. Everybody would agree that it's
necessary to worry about CPU and memory utilization in their routers.
The same is true for the bandwidth utilization on the various links
that connect network devices. But some resources are harder to
quantify or harder to see. How do you compare the relative importance
of these resources? Do you want to save bandwidth, for example, at
the expense of CPU load?

The ultimate resource for any organization comes down ...

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